Process of acidifying milk for manufacturing oleomargarine.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER MIILLER, OF RIXDORF, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF ACIDIFYING MIL K FOR MANUFACTURING OLEOMARGARINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,624, dated March Q,1900.

Application filed January 12,1899. $erlal No. 701,921. (No specimens.)

In the manufacture of the better kinds ofartificial butter only creamand full or unskimmed milk are now employed, the same being subjected toan artificial acidification shortly before the admixture of the rawproducts by introducing a suitable fermenting material, (anaerobicbacteria,) because it is generally assumed that the aroma developingduring the process of acidification is derived from the milk-fat.

In the experiments which have led to the present invention it was shown,though, that acidifying skim-milkis capable of developing at least thesame aroma if the following process is applied during the process ofacidification, and if applied to unskimmed or full milk it produced avigorous and fine aroma not hitherto obtained.

The process consists in hermetically sealing the skimmed or unskimmedmilk from contact with the atmosphere immediately after the introductionof the fermenting mate rial, which will bring about a hastening of thenatural acidification. This is obtained in the simplest manner bypouring over the milk a layer of fat or analogous matter.

The sealing of the milk from contact with the atmosphere will have thefollowing effects: First, the anaerobic bacteria planted into the milkcan develop quickly and are not impeded by the oxygen of the air, as isthe case otherwise; secondly, the fineness of the developed aroma ispreserved completely and is not interfered with, as otherwise, by theoxidizing action of the oxygen of the air, and, thirdly, the generatedaroma is concentrated, because it cannot escape.

The sealing from contact with the atmosphere is maintained until asufficient acidification of the milk is obtained according to experience. When acidification is reached, the medium employed for thehermetical sealing is removed and the acidified milk,which excels now bya vigorous and fine aroma, is worked immediately with the raw materialused in margarine making in the usual manner.

I claim as my invention- The herein-described process for generatingaroma or enhancing the same in acidifying milk, consisting inintroducing into the milk a suitable fermenting medium and thenimmediately hermetically sealing the same from contact with theatmosphere, until it has reached the intended degree of acidification.In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

I WALTER MULLER. WVitnesses:

O'rro MUNK, HUGO LoUIs Burn.

